The heat is on! Temperatures hit 30C at Wimbledon ahead of the start of a scorching weekend

Wimbledon spectators were feeling the heat this afternoon, with some collapsing as temperatures soared to 30C ahead of a scorching weekend. 

Tennis fans were carried away by ambulance crews while others were spotted fanning themselves as the grass baked on the fifth day of the tennis tournament in south-west London.

Other spectators sat on the floor in shaded areas to avoid the sun before Andy Murray arrived on court to continue his Centre Court match against Stefanos Tsitsipas this afternoon.

Elsewhere across the country, people have been flocking to parks and beaches to soak up the warm weather with temperatures in some areas expected to enter into the high 20s. 

People have been pictured enjoying barbeques in the hot sun at Lincoln’s Inn Fields and Wimbledon Common in London, while others relaxed on the beach in the hot weather in Ruislip Lido and Cleethorpes.

Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Dan Harris warned of the high temperatures earlier on today, saying: ‘Temperatures will be on the rise from Friday, with a plume of continental air allowing temperatures to reach, and perhaps locally exceed 30C in parts of England on Friday and Saturday.

‘In addition, temperatures overnight will remain high, especially in towns and cities, which will make for an uncomfortably warm night for some.’

Soaring temperatures come off the back of rainfall earlier on in the week. All play stopped on outside courts on Wednesday after a grey afternoon of downpours.

The Referee’s Office announced 69 matches were cancelled over the afternoon. Returning spectators were told they would get another chance to watch them.

The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) confirmed that tickets bought for Courts Two and Three as well as grounds passes bought before 5pm would receive a full refund after the downpours disrupted the first three days of play.

The Met Office said it will be another warm day on Saturday, but warned there may be thunderstorms across some areas, especially in north and east.

Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern said in a forecast today that not everywhere will see thunderstorms but those places that do will experience intense and frequent lightning and hail. 

However, temperatures in London and other areas in the east and south east of England are expected to hit between 26C and 27C. 

Dr Agostinho Sousa, Head of Extreme Events and Health Protection at UKHSA, said yesterday: ‘This weekend it’s important that everyone takes sensible precautions while enjoying the sun.

‘The forecasted high temperatures are expected to be short-lived but could primarily impact those over the age of 65 or those with pre-existing health conditions. 

‘If you have friends, family or neighbours who are more vulnerable, it is important to check in on them and ensure they are aware of the forecasts and are following the necessary advice.’

 Despite the baking temperatures, it was another busy day at Wimbledon as Katie Boulter watched her Aussie boyfriend Alex de Minaur lose at Wimbledon today ahead of a Fantastic Friday for British players.

McGivern said: ‘We’ve got the heat intensifying across eastern parts of England especially East Anglia where somewhere could get up to 30C to 32C depending on how much cloud we see moving in or depending on some shower developments in the afternoon.’

On Sunday the weather is expected to be ‘fresher’, with ‘a risk of heavy showers and perhaps the odd rumble of thunder’, according to the Met Office. 

The British women’s number one was seen cheering from the stands on Court 18, where De Minaur was up against Italy’s Matteo Berrettini. He went on to lose in three sets after a hard-fought contest. 

Boulter, 26, who dispatched Bulgaria’s Viktoriya Tomova in the singles yesterday, is playing with her 24-year-old partner later this afternoon in the mixed doubles. 

Belarussian player Aryna Sabalenka was also seen struggling with the heat, holding an ice pack over her head and hiding from the sun under a towel as the heat beat down onto the courts. 

Meanwhile, Andy Murray will be looking to finish the job against Greek fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas after their dramatic match was adjourned late yesterday. 

British number one Cameron Norrie is second on Court One while Liam Broady – who yesterday pulled off a dramatic upset by beating fourth seed Casper Ruud – is third on Court 2. 

In the men’s doubles, British world number six Joe Salisbury and his American partner Rajeev Ram will do battle just after 4pm. 

Murray was two sets to one up when play was halted at around 10.40pm yesterday, and all eyes will be on how the Brit pulls up after the injury scare he suffered in the penultimate point.

On set point, the 36-year-old went down screaming when trying to change direction before picking himself up and delivering an unreturnable serve that put him 2-1 up.

The match referee then decided it was too late to start a fourth set, meaning Murray and Tsitsipas must return on Friday afternoon to finish with the Scot leading 6-7 (3) 7-6 (2) 6-4.

Carlos Alcaraz, who felt sidelined when he could not play on Centre Court in front of Roger Federer on Tuesday, will open play today against Alexandre Muller before Murray returns to finish his match.

Then women’s top seed Iga Swiatek will play Petra Martic before the headline act between Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka closes a thrilling day’s action.

One of the big rivalries of the last 15 years is reignited on Centre Court as defending champion Djokovic faces Wawrinka in the third round.

The pair have fought it out on the biggest stage over the years with two of Wawrinka’s three grand slam titles coming after beating Djokovic in the final, most memorably in a stunning performance at the French Open in 2015.

But injury has taken its toll on the Swiss in recent years and he is no longer competing at the same level as Djokovic, who has almost got better with age.

Wawrinka has given himself ‘zero’ chance of winning Wimbledon but he will have plenty of support on Centre Court as he eyes a huge upset.